Plasma P-selectin predicts long-term cardiovascular events in hospitalized patients with suspected coronary artery disease and preserved left ventricular function: a 10-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: A variety of biomarkers have been investigated on their values to predict cardiovascular outcomes, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen, troponin-I (TnI), and soluble P-selectin (sP-sel). By a design of head-to-head comparison, this study sought to figure out the long-term prognostic values of these parameters in patients hospitalized with suspected coronary artery disease. METHODS: A total of 170 patients hospitalized with suspected coronary artery disease were enrolled and followed up for an average of 10 years. sP-sel, hs-CRP, TnI, and fibrinogen levels were measured. During the follow-up period, cardiac events were recorded including cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and acute coronary syndromes with hospitalization. RESULTS: For all 170 patients, with a median follow-up time of 9.86 ± 3.87 years, no parameter was able to significantly predict the occurrence of cardiac events. In subgroup analysis, an sP-sel of ≥ 63.5 ng/ml significantly predicted the development of all composite cardiac events only in patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction > 50% (n = 94, p = 0.04). However, the levels of hs-CRP, TnI, and fibrinogen did not have significant predictive values. Multivariate analysis also demonstrated the independent predictive value of sP-sel on all cardiac events (hazard ratio = 5.82, p = 0.02). All parameters, including sP-sel, could not demonstrate prognostic values in patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 50% (n = 76). CONCLUSIONS: In this 10-year long-term follow-up study, sP-sel was demonstrated to have prognostic values in predicting the cardiac events in patients with preserved left ventricular systolic function.

Late reperfusion of a totally occluded infarct-related artery increases granulocyte-colony stimulation factor and reduces stroma-derived factor-1alpha blood levels in patients with ongoing ischemia after acute myocardial infarction.

After acute myocardial infarction (AMI), reopening of a totally occluded infarct-related artery (IRA) at a subacute stage is still controversial in symptom-free patients. However, in patients with persistent ischemic symptoms and inadequate collaterals to the infarct area, recanalization is thought to provide beneficial effects. In addition to augmenting myocardial perfusion, we hypothesized that the benefit of recanalization involves the manipulation of circulating stem cell-mobilizing cytokines. This study included 30 patients with a totally occluded IRA and ongoing ischemic symptoms (the study group) and 30 patients with a partially occluded IRA (the control group). All patients underwent successful angioplasty and/or stenting. Before and immediately after the coronary intervention, blood granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), stem-cell factor (SCF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and stroma-derived factor-1 (SDF-1alpha) were measured. After recanalization, G-CSF levels significantly increased in the study group compared to the control group (P=0.03). SDF-1alpha levels in the study group decreased relative to the controls (P=0.02). However, no significant changes in VEGF or SCF levels between the two groups were found. In the multivariate analysis, reopening of a totally occluded IRA was independently and significantly associated with changes in G-CSF and SDF-1alpha levels after recanalization. In conclusion, our data suggest that the benefits of late reperfusion of a totally occluded IRA in patients with ongoing myocardial ischemia may involve mechanisms associated with stem cell-mobilizing and plaque-stabilizing cytokines. This study provides the rationale to investigate serial changes in cytokines and the numbers of circulating progenitors after reperfusion in the future.